Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Trump's Detention Policy — No Bond For Immigrants, Indefinite Holds — Is Allowed To Stand
Verite News New Orleans: Immigrants In ICE Detention Have No Due Process Rights Under US Constitution, Federal Appeals Court Says
Immigrants who enter the United States without appointments with immigration officials can be detained indefinitely and are not entitled to bond hearings, regardless of how long they have lived in the country, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Friday. The 10-7 decision was issued in the case of three immigrant fathers in Texas who were detained without bond. It applies to immigrants who have already entered the U.S., as well as those who will enter in the future, and it has far-reaching implications for the more than 20,000 people held indefinitely in detention centers in Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi – the states in the appeals court district. (Misick and Joshi, 10/23)
Stateline: Analysis: Trump Deportations Near 1M, But Few Are Criminals
Former DHS official Marc Rosenblum emphasized in his analysis how many non-criminals have been either forcibly deported or pressured to leave voluntarily. Only 20% overall — and 28% of those in the U.S. for at least two years — have a criminal conviction. “These data here do not suggest the administration is deporting the worst of the worst,” Rosenblum said. (Henderson, 10/22)
Democracy Now!: 'Dying In Detention': Al Jazeera Investigates Immigrant Deaths In California’s Adelanto ICE Jail
At least 59 people have died in ICE custody since the start of President Donald Trump’s second term, the highest number in more than a decade. Many deaths have been linked to medical neglect, including four of five recent deaths at California’s Adelanto Processing Center, according to a 2026 report by the state attorney general. Al Jazeera English’s Fault Lines investigated deaths at the facility, which is operated by the private prison company GEO Group. (10/23)
In other health and wellness news —
Fox News: America's Catholics Are Putting Down The Bottle As Drinking Habits Shift
A historic shift in American drinking habits shows Catholic alcohol consumption reaching record lows, though scientific experts caution against attributing the drop strictly to religious or cultural changes. The share of Catholic adults in the United States who report drinking alcohol has fallen to 55%, according to a Gallup report authored by analyst Frank Newport. (Quill, 10/25)
San Francisco Chronicle: Cannabis Users May Sleep Worse Than They Think, New Study Suggests
A new study has found that adults who use cannabis have poorer sleep than those who don’t — though they might not realize it. The study by Northwestern Medicine researchers, published in JAMA Network Open this month, found that both recent and lifetime cannabis use are associated with poorer quality sleep — more fragmented sleep, a lower percentage of time in bed spent asleep, and longer periods of time awake after initially falling asleep. (Ho, 10/24)
On women's health —
NBC News: The FDA Says There’s No Estrogen Patch Shortage. Women Are Struggling To Fill Prescriptions
Women across the country are still struggling to fill prescriptions for estrogen patches. (Lovelace Jr., 10/23)
NBC News: Should You Test Embryos For BRCA? 3 Women Open Up About Fraught Choice
It had only been three months since Sage Silverstein learned she carried a BRCA mutation when she got even more shocking news: At 24, she was diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer. She lost her grandmother at age 60 to breast cancer, and she and her mom both learned they carry BRCA mutations. In particular, Silverstein is positive for BRCA2, a gene mutation that significantly increases the risk for breast, ovarian and other cancers. (Jacoby, 10/23)
Stat: New Approach To Women's Heart Health Focuses On Four Stages Of Life
Women’s hearts are different from men’s. Research from clinical trials that have required female participants only since 1993 have repeatedly drummed home that message, from varying chromosomes in heart muscle cells to different heart attack symptoms and causes. Yet wide gaps remain in heart health care for girls and women across specialties. (Cooney, 10/26)
